I know I haven't been too productive since Martin and I got Frank working but things have been a bit crazy around here. First, Frank doesn't always cooperate (sometimes the video card just doesn't want to boot with the rest of the system). Second I've been really exhausted for the past three weeks. A little over two months ago Martin and Francine were trying to work out a choreography for an ‘invitational spectacular’ that is held every year, it’s sort of a year-end party for the local dance community. Francine is Martin’s mom, fellow choreographer, and my other dance teacher.

I knew it was coming, I just hoped it wouldn`t be so soon. My laptop has been having enough issues with the memory and hard drive problems and various other problems with USB ports, network card, and a lot of the other onboard motherboard related hardware. Now the onboard video is going too. I`ve been plagued with various screen and graphics errors the past several days and It`s getting progressively worse, I can hardly see what I`m typing through the damn lines on the screen..

Hey folks just a quick word of apology. I was hoping to have the regular chapter of Twice Removed done on Monday and work well underway for the new chapter of Alex in Wonderland and Copycat's story in the Hyperverse. Sadly I've been stuck in bed sick since Sunday and it's taking me a while to feel up to moving, let alone writing or even thinking creatively. I do have the new chapter of Syryn's Song half finished but alas it too will have to wait until I'm feeling better. I don't want to try to right anything while I'm sick and do a half-assed job at it, my readers deserve better than that.

Okay I've narrowed the choices down to what Xia as a character might choose as the names. I loved the cuter names like Pookie, Cuddles and Huggles, but Xia just isn't the type to name a pet those so I decided that when Amy get's a slip it will be named one of those three. Here's the names that I've narrowed it down to based on Xia's tastes and general knowledge.

Let's see what one comes out on top by midnight tonight and I'll use that one.

Hey folks,

Well it's been six weeks since I pulled the ligaments in my ankle and I decided to try to go back to dance class today to see how it would go. My ankle twinged a few times but I was careful to take breaks if I thought I was overdoing it and I was really happy that I had no issues doing a new dance we were learning to the music of Frank Sinatra's "It Had to Be You". The dance called for a lot of fancy footwork and I was able to get through it no problem though that was the second dance we did and I took a break immediately after to make sure I wasn't putting too much strain on it.

Happy New Year to everyone at the Big Closet: The readers. without whom one of us would be here. The authors, who give us so much of themselves and their imaginations. And to Erin and the staff, who make this place great. May the new year bring you all health and happiness.

For my readers, I am half finished a new chapter of Alex in Wonderland and 21000 words into Syryn's Song the new Hyperverse story I mentioned in my last blog on Christmas Eve. It's a bit longer than I was expecting so I'll probably have to break it into several stories of which Syryn's Song will be book #1.

Has anyone at all heard from Sephrena lately? I don't recall having seen her commenting to anything lately and one of her last blogs over a month ago mentioned her health problems. Does anyone know if she's okay? I know people got concerned for me when I dropped out of sight for a while and Sephrena is a big part of what makes BCTS great. Maybe I missed something while I was offline all that time but before that it was unusual for Sephrena to go very long without commenting on something so I'm getting a little concerned.

I was looking at my account details earlier today and I was shocked to discover that I have gotten over 5000 kudos in the year and a half or so that I have been on BCTS. It came as a bit of a shock to me with as much time as I've had to spend not writing since I started here due to health or computer issues. So I would like to take this time to thank all of my readers who comment, kudo, send me messages, patiently wait for new chapters when RL swallows me up, and generally make me feel like an author rather than a scribbler.

Okay folks it's update time.

I had been hoping to have the chapters of my DRU stories and Winter's Child ready by Saturday but being off my hormones and anti-anxiety medications for the past three weeks has been making it harder and harder to concentrate. I had hoped that the end was in sight with me being able to get my medical coverage sorted out tomorrow but on Friday afternoon I got an email from my Aunt's lawyer telling me that she has died and I need to return to my hometown for the will reading.

Sorry folks. but given that I've been sick the past three days I will have to delay my next chapters of Bloodlines and Trial and Heiress until Friday. Winter's Child and Alex in Wonderland should be on schedule this week since I had managed to get a couple chapters ahead on those.

Given that I haven't slept much at all the past two nights with the nightmares coming back my brain is getting a little fuzzy. I still hope to have chapter 9 of Bloodlines and chapter 8 of Trial and Heiress both done before the end of the week, but as I'm not firing on all cylinders right now the going may be a little slow. Once I have both of them out I will try to have chapter 6 of Alex in Wonderland up by mid next week. Again these are hopeful times depending on whether my brain cooperates.

I'd like to apologize to my readers. Due to my hard drive dying last week, losing all the data on it, having to get another hard drive installed, reinstall everything, working out details for the separation and eventual divorce, and with getting my wisdom teeth pulled yesterday, dealing with the migraines from that, the lack of painkillers and life just generally kicking the crap out of me the past week the next chapters of Bloodlines and Trial and Heiress will be unavoidably delayed. I am working on them, but as hard as it is to focus right now it is slow going.